Franklin gifford



(No Model.) 'FI GIPPORD.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

FRANKLIN eIFFoRD, oF SPRINGFIELD, oHIo, AssIGNoR oF ONE-HALF ro LoUIsA KRULL AND. FREDERICK w. RALPH, Porn oF sAME PLACE.

HlTCHlNG-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming prr of Letters Patent No. 302,125, dated July 15, 1884.

Application tiled May 10, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concer-7e.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN GIFFoRD, of the city of Springfield, county of Clark, and

State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hitching-Blocks; and y 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact'description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon- This inventionhas'relation to bitching-posts for horses; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. t I5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved bitching'- post. Fig. 2 is a' transverse section thereof. Fig. 3 is a View of the casing with the front plate removed, showing the device locked. Fig. 4 is a similar view with device unlocked to apply the strap thereto. Fig. 5 is a view of the casing with the plate having the projection for closing the slots of the front and back plate. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views. Fig. 8 is a View of the key, and Fig. 9is a longitudinal view of the spindle.

The letter Adesignatesmy improved hitching-post, provided with inclined ribs at the sides, front, and rear thereof, the rear one of O 3 the post is provided with a base, A', secured to a curbstone or other support in anyfsuitable manner. and recessed therein, is a cylindrical casin g, B provided with a stationary back plate, -C having a slot, b, and a central circular opening, m. On the inner surface of the casing are secured lugs or projections c d, the purposes of which will be hereinafter described.

E represents a plate seated in the casing, and having on its upper surface a projection, E,'a central circular` opening, e, square openings e c2, communicating with the central opening,

and below said'central opening a lug, f, while the bottom portion isprovided withapin, f', to which is pivoteda tumbler-plate, H', provided .on one side with a tumbler, h, having a slot, i, and a catch, K. The other side of this plate H,toward the upper portion,is provided with 5o a swell, g. f

which is not shown. The bottom portion of On the top portion of this post, A

The letter N denotes a coiled spring, resting A on the top of the tumbler-plate H. One end of this spring engages the notch or slot in the tumbler, its other end engaging a similar notch in the lug c ofthe casing. A

O is the spindle, extending through the casing and seated in the circular opening m of the back plate, and it is provided with a slot, a3, extending through thefbody thereof from its center toits top portion.- The top portion, at 6o oneside of the slot, is provided with aprojection, i. This spindle is also provided with a pin, p, which extends transversely across the slot a3, and has its bearing in the sides of the spindle. It is further provided with a lug,'p, 65 at one side thereof. A i

B is the front plate of the casing, havinga slot, b2, corresponding in shape to the slot of the back plate, and communicating therewith when theprojection. E of the plate E is thrown 7o back. It is also provided with aentral circular opening, b3, and has a slot, a?, communieating with the slot of the spindle,to admit the key. This plate B is secured to the casing by means of screws or other suitable fastening devices. The slots b and b2 of the front andback plates may be closed to exempt dust and rain by means of slides arranged in any suitable manner to said plates.

B2 is the key, having a boss, B3, and aslotted 8o portion, B4', whereby the device is operated.

. I attach importance to the fact that the in clined or tapering ribs prevent a strap or other hitching means from being attached tothe post, as such inclinations or taperings will not ad- 8 5 mit of a strap being securely tied or secured thereto-that is to say, the strap, if not secured in the slot,will slip over the top of the post, as will be seen by a post constructed as shown.

The operation of my invention is as follows: 9o By inserting the key in the key-hole slot, Fig. l, and turningit over to the right, the proj ection t" of the spindle will come in contact with the swell gof the tumbler-plate andbear firmly against the same. This movement brings the pin p of the spindle against theprojection f of the plate E, which causes the tumbler-plate H, spindle O, and plate E to lock together,where by they revolve together by means of the key to throwthe projection E of the plateEout of Ioo contact with the slots of the front and back plates,and are held in position by means of the catch K of the tumbler-plate coming into engagement with the lug d of the easing, as shown in Fig. 4. This brings the tumbler h in contact with the slots of the front and back plates, and the spindle can be revolved to its original position and the key withdrawn. The strap, as shown in Fig. 2, is passed through the slots of the front and back plate, and comes in contact with a projection, m', of the tumbler h, which is forced downward, and the catch K thereby thrown out of engagement with the lug d, in which position the parts remain while the strap is in said slots. Vhen the strap is withdraw n,the slots ofthe front and back plates are closed automatically bythe spring Z,which th rows the tumbler-plate H and plate E, with its projection E', back into their original postion, as shown in Fig. 3. The purpose ofthe lug c of the casing is to form a stop for the projection E when thrown outof engagement with the Slots of the front and back plates, as shown in Fig. 4.

Having described my invention and the operation thereof, what I claim isl. The hitching-po'st herein described,hav ing the platform A', provided with tapering ribs, and a-slotted casing atthe upper extremity ofthe post, )rovided with mechanism adapt- 3o ed to attach and detach an animal by means of a strap, as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a hitching-post having at its top portion a casing provided with aplate, E, having the projection E', and 35 a tumbler-plate, H, pvoted to said plate E, the front and back plates, provided with central circular openings andslots, and the spring l, of the spindle O, having its bearings in the front and back plate and provided with key- 4o hole slots, and a key, B2, for operating the mechanism, as shown and described.

3. The combination, with a bitching-post having the base-plate and inclined ribs, of the casing recessed into the top ofthe post and hav- 4 5 ing the plate E, provided with projection E, circular opening e, and pin f', the tumblerplate H, pivoted to said plate E, and having the tumbler h, swell g, and catch K, the spring Z, the spindle O, and the key B2, as shown and 5o described, and for the purpose set forth.

FRANKLIN G-IFFORD.

XVitnesses:

G. C. BowLUs, CHASE STEWART. 

